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My Weird School series
My Weird School is a series of chapter books by Dan Gutman. Plot The main character is a boy named A.J. who would rather play video games than go to school. But Ella Mentry Elementary School is no ordinary school; it's staffed by grown-ups who are offbeat, kooky, and just plain weird. In fact, they're so weird that it's usually up to A.J. and his pals to restore order when things get a little out of hand. In the meantime, the kids discover that school can be fun, even the learning part. Why The Books Suck #The books are chock-full of unfortunate gender stereotypes, as they depict the boys as messy, rude, and obnoxious and the girls as bossy, whiny, and vain. In the books, all the boys are tough and competitive, like sports, hate school, and pick on girls, and all the girls are nerdy, scared of things like rats and the dark, dress up and wear makeup, and run screaming after teen pop stars. #*That said, there's a consistent message that boys and "boy stuff" like sports are cool and that girls and "nerdy stuff" like being good at school are not. With his friends Ryan and Michael, A.J. squares off against the girls, Andrea and Emily, in a constant gender battle that stereotypes learning and school as nerdy and female and sports and rambunctious behavior as innately male. #The books also have many stereotypical depictions of adults, and treat adult authority figures as a laughing matter. #A.J. repeatedly tags a sensitive kid as a "crybaby" and calls a girl who's accepted into the school's gifted program a "dweeb" and a "know-it-all." His hatred of school and learning is seen as cool, and his inner monologue is punky and dismissive and can be bullying. He rarely says anything out loud to the girl who cries easily, but readers of this series will see exactly what he thinks of her, and it isn't positive. #The students are always picking on each other, and their behavior is the opposite of what teachers everywhere try to have in their classrooms, which doesn't make them good role models for the students. #There's mild but consistent teasing among students at school, with some tense moments when the students get in trouble. Confrontational teasing between kids is portrayed as normal, and the name-calling is almost nonstop. "Nerd," "crybaby," and "dumbhead" are only a few of the insults flung around the second and third grade; A.J. and his friends insult the girls for being smart, and Andrea (his nemesis) insults the boys for being dumb. #As the series progressed, the books have become less and less realistic and depict events that would never happen in real life, such as aliens from another planet coming to Earth to work as teachers. #The characters have undergone flanderization as the series went on, giving them more stereotyped and exaggerated mannerisms. #The content of the books might be hard for any reader who's felt the sting of schoolyard teasing, or who's sensitive to seeing kids pick on each other, or who doesn't like the "boys vs. girls" theme. Redeeming Qualities #The books have some playful jokes and lessons. #The adults in the series behave in sneaky ways to trick the kids into doing more schoolwork, which is fun to watch unfold. #In My Weirder School, the author introduces a new character named Alexia, a tomboy who stands out in a sea of nerdy girly girls. #The series actually has some good educational value. Occasionally, an advanced vocabulary word (such as "photogenic") or idea (such as a brief mention of the laws of physics) is introduced. #The series portrays school-related adults in a universally positive light. The teachers, principal, and staff are supportive, kind, and funny, joking with the students and trying to get the kids to understand the importance of trying their best. #The language is age-appropriate, the adult characters are as loopy as they come, and the friendships between the kids are real. #Even though A.J. hates school and does everything he can to cause the maximum disruption while doing the minimum amount of work, in several of the books, he learns that school is important and can be fun. For example, sometimes he's tricked into working hard, like when his new teacher, Miss Daisy, says she doesn't know how to do math and her entire class has to teach her addition, or when the principal, Mr. Klutz, says he'd give the school a chocolate party and kiss a pig if they wrote 100,000 spelling words. Trivia Category:Childrens books Category:Series Category:Books